Paper clip



l Sept. 1, 1936. A J' LEW|5 v2,052,887

PAPER CLIP Filed DeG. 24, 1934 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. l, 1936 PAPERCLIP Arthur J. Lewis, Stratford, Conn., assignor to The Autoyre Company,Watertown, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 24,1934, Serial No. '759,023

'l Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in clips, and hasparticular relation to clips for securing together a plurality of sheetsof paper or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a clip of the kind indicatedand which is capable of maintaining a good grip on a small number ofsheets of thin paper and which will also, without causing a set in thewire of the clip, securely grip together a large number of sheets ofpaper.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing wherein satisfactory embodiments of the inventionare shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to the details disclosed but includes all such Variations andmodifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scopeof the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the improved clip;

Fig. 2 is an edge View side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. l but showing the clip as used insecuring together sheets of paper;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane of theline 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional YView taken substantially along the plane of theline 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a slightly modiiiedconstruction; and y Fig. 7 is an edge view looking from the right inFig. 6.

Referring in detail to the drawing and at rst particularly to Figs. 1through 5 the improved clip is shown as formed from a single length ofwire and comprising a generally triangular shaped looking from the lowerframe IB and a tongue II within the frame. Thev frame I!! includes aclosed roundedlower end or nose I2 and d iverging sides I3 and I4. Atthe upper ends of the sides I3 and Ill the wire is carried inwardlyproviding arms I5 and I5 extending toward one another and connected withthe frame sides I3 and I4 respectively by the bends I1.

The arms I5 and IS are of the same or substantially the same length andby bends I8 are connnected with parallel depending members I9 andwhichmembers comprise portions of the tongue II and extend in thedirection of the rounded lower end I2 of the frame. Each of thedepending tongue members I9 and 2li at its lower end carries a smallloop 2l and the loops of the respective members comprise upwardlydirected extensions 22 connected with the respective members by'bends 23which are preferably rounded as shown so that each loop has a closedrounded lower end. The two end portions of the single (Cl. ,Z4-261)length of wire from which the clip is formed are at the upper ends ofthe extensions 22, and these end portions designated 24 and 25respectively are bent inwardly and extend toward one another and towardthe depending members I9 and 20 and are connected with the extensions 22by corners or bends 26. The portions 22 are preferably closely adjacentand substantially parallel to side portions I3 and Ill to give a goodgrip on thin paper or a small number of sheets, as well as give a goodgrip on a larger stack of papers as indicated at 8 and 9 in Fig. 5.

When applying the clip the tongue Il may be engaged by a thumb andpressed out of the frame to either side thereof or when the roundedlower end I2 of the frame is placed against the upper side of one of thesheets which are to be connected together, and by moving the clip ontothe sheets or moving the sheets into the clip the clip 20 will bepositioned with its frame at one side of the sheets and its tongue atthe other side thereof as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 wherein the clip issho'wn in place on two sheets of paper or other material A. With theclip in place the arms I5 and I6 extend in a direction diagonally acrossthe edges of the connected sheets. The bends I1 connecting the arms withthe sides I3 and lil of the frame act more or less as fulcrums when thetongue is pressed to either side of the frame.

Therefore, as the tongue is pressed out of the frame the dependingmembers I9 and 20 of the tongue rock or turn outwardly relative to oneanother, with the result that the small loops 2I at the lower ends ofsuch members are turned to direct the extensions 22 toward the frame assuggested in Fig. 5, and to particularly bring their bends or shoulders26 against the sheets A being secure. Additionally, as the tongue isforced through the frame the lower end of the tongue moves the greatestdistance and the upper portions 24 and 25, and particularly the cornerportions 26 of its small loops, are tilted inwardly and tend to dig intoor form a sharp bend in the sheets as shown in Fig. 4 at 26a to increaseresistance to removal of the clip from the papers.

It will be noted that the extensions 22 forming portions of the smallloops 2|, are arranged relatively close to the sides I3 and I4 of theframe IB, and it will therefore be apparent that the clip will securelygrip even a small number of thin sheets of paper. The arms I5 and I6 arerelatively long and the clip may, therefore, be used on a relativelythick stack of papers without causing a set in the wire.

The thicker the pad of paper to which the clip is applied the furtherthe tongue will be forced out of the frame and the more the tongue willbe inclined to cause the upper portions 24 and 25, and particularly theshoulders 26 of its small loops to dig into or form a sharp bend in thepaper as shown in Fig. Ll, and thus increase the grip on the paper andincrease its resistance to removal of the clip therefrom. Also, thethicker pad of paper results in additional fulcruming of the arms l5 andi6 about the bends Il, so that the depending members i9 and 2l! of thetongue are v rocked or turned to a greater degree relatively so as tocant or turn the small loops inwardly as suggested in Fig. 5 to forcetheir portions 22, and particularly their shoulders or` 4bends 25,against the paper. Since the tongue can be bent out of the frame ineither direction should it be set by bending to one side it may be usedto make a good grip by bending it in the opposite direction. l In Figs.6 and '7 the shape of the frame is slightly modied but the structure ofthe tongue is the same as that previously described, and the tongue hasthe same reference characters `applied thereto as in Figs. 1 through 5.In the-modied construction the frame is generally designated 2l andincludes sides 28 and 29 the lower portions 33 and 3l of which areVinclined and connected by a rounded lower end 32. The sides of theframe are bent at 33 and their upper portions 3&1 and 35 extendsubstantially parallel whereby the clip is somewhat rectangular. Theportions 3B and 3l correspond to the lower portions of the sides i3 andld of the rst form and have the same relation to the tongue and theportions 22 thereof. Arms 35 and 3l are connected with the upperportionk of the frame sides by bends 38 corresponding with the bends ilof Fig. 1 and said armsextend toward one another and by the bends 39,corresponding with theibends i8 of Fig. 1, are connected with thedepending members i9 and 20 of the tongue l l. n

This modied construction has the same advantages as the structure ofFig. 1 insofar that the clip may be easily applied, that thetongue maybe displaced to either side of the frame, and that the small loops ofthe tongue, and particularly the bends or cornersZS of said loops willtend to dig into or form .sharp bends in thepapers as shown in Figs. 4and 5. However, since the arms E@ and 3l of the modified constructionare shorter than the arms l5 and i6 of Fig. 1 the tongueof the modiedconstruction can not be forced laterally out of the frame as great adistance without causing a set in the wire as can that of the rst form;Therefore, the constructio-n of Figs. 6 and 'kfor a similar size ofclipis not adapted for the securing together of the she-ets of such athick pad as is the construction ofr Figs. 1 through 5. p

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

l. A clip formed from a length of wire comprising a frame having a baseand sides connected in a lower rounded end, and an inner tongue com- Yprising two centrally located depending members each including a low-errounded end and an outer upwardly directed extension closely adjacentand substantially parallel with the adjacent` side member and having itsend bent and directed toward its depending member to provide a corneradjacenty a side of the frame spaced amaterial distance from the base soas to; be movable out of the rplane of the frame.

2. A clip formed froma length of wire-comprising a frame including abase and sides connected at their lower ends, an inner tongue comprisingtwo centrally located depending members, and a substantially closed loopat the outer side of and carried by the lower end portion of each ofsaid members and said loops being spaced a material distancefrom" thebase so asto be movable out of the plane of the frame. v

j '3. A clip formed from a length of wire comprising a frame includingsides connected at their lower ends, an inner tongue comprising twocentrally located dep-ending members, a substantial.- ly closed loop atthe outer side of and carried by theflower end portion of each of saidmembers, arms connecting the upper ends of said members with the sidesof the frame, and said fra-me, members and loops arranged in the sameplane with the loops spaced a material .distance from the arms so as tobe movable out of .the plane. of the frame. y

4. A clip comprising a wire bent to provide'` a. rounded lower end andupwardly and outwardly inclined sides, said wire bent at the upper endsof the sides to provide inturned arms extending toward one another,saidwire bent downwardly at the inner ends of said arms to provideparallel members extendingv toward said rounded end, and the ends of thewire at the lower ends of'said parallel members extending outwardly andupwardly substantially parallel to the sid-es fora short distance andthen bent in toward the downwardly extending `members at a materialdistance from said arms so Yas to grip papers in the clipat adis'tancefrom the edges thereof.v Y

5. A clip formed from a Vlength of wire comprising a frame includingna'rounded lowerend and upwardly and outwardly inclined sides, arms oneanother from the upper ends of said sides, a pair of independent membersdepending one from the inner end of each of said arms, and a loop at theouter side of land Ycarried by the lower end portion of each of saidmembers and spaced a material distance from the arms so as to be movableout of the plane of the frame.

6l A clip formed from a length of wire comprising a frame includinganrounded lower end and upwardly and outwardly inclined sides, `a tonguewithin theframe andV comprising a pair of parallel independent dependingmembersv extending toward saidround-ed end, and a lloop at the out-erside of the lower end portion ofeach of said members and each comprisingan upwardly directed extension close to and substantially parallel witha side and anY inwardly directed lportion at the upper end of theextension and extending toward the depending members, said inwardlydirected portion being spaced a material distance from the base of theframe so as to grippapers in the clip at a distance from their edges.

7. A clip comprising a wire bent to provide a lower end and upwardlyextending sides, said wire bent at the upper ends of the sides toprovide inturned arms extending toward one another, said wirebentdownwardlyat the -inner ends of'said arms to provide substantiallyparallel members extending toward said rounded end, and the ends of thewire at the lower-ends of said members extendingY outwardly `andupwardly for a short distance and then bent in towardthe downwardlyextending members and spaced a material distance from said arms so as togrip papers in the clip at a-distance fromtheir edges. -Y

v ARTHUR J. LEWIS.

